Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Impersonating another person or otherwise engaging in misrepresentation in order to obtain an individual's private personal information.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of pretext.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • It did so by using private investigators who engaged in "pretexting" — calling up phone companies and impersonating directors seeking their own records.

    Law 2006

  • It did so by using private investigators who engaged in "pretexting" — calling up phone companies and impersonating directors seeking their own records.

    Interesting Times 2006

  • The term "pretexting" is cute, but the practice of lying about who you are is also called using "false pretenses."

    Balkinization 2006

  • Every time I hear the word pretexting, I grit my remaining teeth.

    Wall Street Weaselwords 2007

  • Investigators hired by the company used a process call pretexting, which is basically pretending to be someone you're not, in order get phone records or other personal data.

    CNN Transcript Sep 18, 2006 2006

  • Virtually everyone in Congress agrees that "pretexting" -- lying to gain access to someone else's private telephone records -- is wrong and should be outlawed.

    And now the news 2006

  • The MPAA has killed a California law that would have outlawed "pretexting" -- fraudulently misrepresenting yourself to gain unlawful access to someone's private information ( "Hi, this is Fred Frederickson, I'm at the office and need to look at my phone records for last month, can you fax them to me?").

    Boing Boing: November 26, 2006 - December 2, 2006 Archives 2006

  • California's attorney general has said previously that laws were broken during Hewlett-Packard's investigation, where investigators used a method called "pretexting"--using Social Security numbers and other information to impersonate board directors and journalists to obtain phone records.

    HP After Dunn 2006

  • The House committee won't be done exploring the HP story after the tech company leaves Washington D.C. On Friday, the committee will focus specifically on "pretexting"--the method HP's investigators used to pry into private phone records.

    Hurd, Dunn, Clear Their Throats Chris Kraeuter 2006

  • California's attorney general has said previously that laws were broken during Hewlett-Packard's investigation, where investigators used a method called "pretexting"--using Social Security numbers and other information to impersonate board directors and journalists to obtain phone records.

    Hewlett-Packard Fires ChairwomanDunn Out At Hewlett-Packard 2006

Comments

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  • A technique in which a person obtains confidential information by pretending to be someone who has legitimate access to that information. (From WordSpy)

    August 15, 2008

  • Ooh. I read a book about this kind of stuff by that former most wanted hacker dude, Kevin Mitnick.

    August 15, 2008

  • I believe another term that's similar is social engineering.

    August 15, 2008

  • Also, psychic SMS.

    August 15, 2008

  • Is that like cold reading?

    August 15, 2008

  • I hear social engineering much more often than pretexting, but they're both pretty good terms for what they describe.

    August 15, 2008